Yemen’s U.S.-backed government, touted by President Barack Obama as a model for dealing with al Qaeda and the Middle East, according the MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough, crumbled overnight last week.

Mistake — President Barack Obama said he will not meet with Israeli prime minister. Google Images

Additionally, Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah died Friday, Jan. 23, leaving the friendship between the Arab nation and the United States hanging in the balance.

To make matters worse, these two developments have eliminated major obstacles for Iran in its endeavor to rework the political makeup of the embattled region.

So what does Obama do? He says “no” to meeting with the West’s only constant and committed ally — Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel.

Like I said, I guess I should laugh to keep from crying.

The two leaders have a history of not getting along. In fact, an unnamed White House official was quoted by the Atlantic calling Netanyahu a (vulgarity).
Classy, right?

This go-’round, another unnamed senior official has voiced disapproval of Netanyahu’s decision to address the joint session of Congress in March at House Speaker John Boehner’s request without White House approval.

“He spat in our face publicly, and that’s no way to behave,” the anonymous source said of the prime minister’s visit.

“Netanyahu ought to remember that President Obama has a year and a half left to his presidency and that there will be a price.”

According to White House spokesperson Bernadette Meehan, the only reason Obama turned down a meeting with Netanyahu is because the U.S. has a “long-standing practice and principle” of not meeting with heads of state during their election seasons.

Really? That is the best they can come up with?

Of course, I suppose I cannot blame the president for avoiding Netanyahu after his promise in the State of the Union address to veto any increased sanctions on Iran’s likely pursuit of a nuclear arsenal. Even though many in the region have warned the White House of Iran’s intentions.

“Should a single American or Zionist missile land in our country, before the dust settles, Iranian missiles will blow up the heart of Israel,” Cleric Mojtaba Zolnour, the supreme leader in Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, told the Islamic Republic News Agency in 2010.

The president should just own up to his disdain for the prime minister, and drop the shtick about “practice and principle.” Netanyahu and Obama have what Earnest calls a “fundamental disagreement” about Iran’s diplomatic standing.

According to Haaretz, an Israeli news source, Obama has directly warned Netanyahu to stop urging lawmakers to propose additional sanctions on Iran.

Disagreement or not, I think the possible threat of a nuclear Iran and an endangered Israel is reason enough for the president to break tradition and meet with the
prime minister.

Yet again, I have to laugh to keep from crying.

How can an American president — leading a country with great interest in the Middle East — dis such a strong ally when “Rome is burning?”

Of course, White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough is on cleanup duty now, distancing Obama’s administration from any negative comments toward Netanyahu.

“I guarantee that it’s not me, not the president and not what we believe,” McDonough said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” of the unnamed sources’ quotes.

Regardless of McDonough’s words, it is Obama who chose to be interviewed last week by GloZell, a YouTube celebrity who eats cereal out of a bathtub, but who will not make time for Israel’s leader.

I love GloZell’s videos just as much as the next bored college student, but really? I cannot imagine Obama’s public relations team did not see this media flub coming.
I think it is time for Obama to ditch the Froot Loops and take the opportunity to meet with Netanyahu, if for no other reason than to keep me from crying.

Goins-Phillips is the opinion editor.

]]>https://www.liberty.edu/champion/2015/01/obama-snubs-israeli-leader/feed/1Convo Connectionhttps://www.liberty.edu/champion/2014/10/convo-connection-3/
https://www.liberty.edu/champion/2014/10/convo-connection-3/#commentsTue, 07 Oct 2014 20:28:26 +0000http://www.liberty.edu/champion/?p=26613Continue reading]]>“Every day I try to live my life in such a way that I will accomplish at least one thing that will outlive me for eternity.”

These words spoken by Liberty alumnus and President of World Help Vernon Brewer laid an enduring foundation and set the stage for a fiercely impactful week of Convocation.

Brewer described the brutality of what ISIS is doing as they seek to cleanse the world of all infidels (Christ followers). He went on to share how Christians are being marked with the Arabic letter equivalent to the letter “N” for Nazarene, or Christ follower, a mark now synonymous with torture, genocide and death.

Students were encouraged to use their voice to raise awareness for suffering Christians in the Middle East, Syria and Iraq by using social media and the #WeAreN. Brewer shared the traumatic story of how a 5-year-old boy was literally cut in half by ISIS while his family stood by helplessly and watched.

“Lord, please do something,” I cried silently. And as if he were sitting right next to me, I heard that still, small, commanding voice respond, “I did. I
gave you Jesus.”

In the midst of the countless atrocities unfolding across the globe, Jesus is, and always will be, our greatest need and only hope. He changes everything. Because of Christ in us, the hope of glory, we can be agents of hope in this world. There is dire need everywhere — a need that eclipses our resources and strength. Where, then, do we start? We can impact lives through praying for the persecuted church.

I was challenged yet again Wednesday with this question from Fox News radio host Todd Starnes, “Who among you is willing to take a stand in the face of persecution?” I was shaken to the core and asked myself, “Am I willing to stand?”

Starnes, author of “God Less America,” spoke to us about the attacks on religious liberties. Thousands of people around our world are being killed because of their faith
in Jesus Christ.

What are we going to do about it? God is preparing us in this very moment to go into all the world and preach the gospel. “All the world” may mean going to places where the name of Jesus is hated and where killing Christians is not just accepted, but applauded. It starts with us.

It begins with our willingness to intentionally abandon our comfort zone as God leads. Shelene Bryan, humanitarian and author of “Love, Skip, and Jump,” ended last week’s convocation fervently asking, “When was the last time you did something that made you uncomfortable?” Bryan went on to share how the worldly façade of comfort and safety had almost paralyzed her until God strategically brought her out of her comfort zone for his glory. As Bryan enthusiastically shared her journey, I began to ponder the many moments when God has led me from the coziness of my comfort zone to wander through the wilderness of a radical faith in him. In doing so, I realized there was still part of me that was longing for the familiar, the comfortable, the controllability of earthly security.

These moments were preparing me for something beyond myself, something that only God can do in and through me. The fallow ground in my heart was being broken up to ready my soul for the seeds of a faith that would bear life-changing fruit. In all of my uncomfortable circumstances, God is preparing me for a time when comfort can only be found in Jesus.

What do you want to be known for? Sitting on the sidelines or getting in the game? As Bryan said, “We need to start getting comfortable with
being uncomfortable.”

Embattled — Members of the Israeli Defense Forces train for battle as mounting attacks from surrounding nations continue to threaten the Jewish state from every direction. Google Images

Tensions between different religious groups continue to rise at events in Washington, D.C., and around the world.

According to the Washington Post, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz was booed off the stage at the In Defense of Christians (IDC) Gala Solidarity Dinner Program at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C., Sept. 10. Cruz made many strong comments during the event that angered numerous attendees.

“Tonight, we are all united in defense of Christians,” Cruz said. “Tonight, we are all united in defense of Jews. … If you will not stand with Israel and the Jews, then I will not stand with you,” he said before walking off the stage.

After Cruz made comments supporting Israel, many unidentified audience members began booing and heckling. According to Newsweek, most of the world leaders and representatives in attendance are concerned with aiding in stopping Christian persecution.

In a statement released referencing a “disruption” at the event, but not naming Cruz, IDC President Toufic Baaklini shared his perspective of what happened.

“In this case, a few politically motivated opportunists chose to divide a room that for more than 48 hours sought unity in opposing the shared threat of genocide, faced not only by our Christian brothers and sisters, but our Jewish brothers and sisters and people of all other faiths and all people of good will,” Baaklini said.

Actions of the hecklers were inappropriate and unwarranted.

This event comes during a time when tensions in the Middle East are running high. This is made clear nearly every day with another story of bombings or murders making headlines, often in retaliation to religious differences. With such atrocities as beheadings and mass murders occurring in the Middle East, it is almost as if Americans have become numb to the violence that plagues the area, especially in Israel.

Measures need to be taken to assist our ally. If we do not stand for Israel, who will? According to the National Archives, President Truman was the first to recognize Israel as an independent state in 1948. As stated by CNN, the relationships between U.S. and Israeli leaders have seen brighter days.

“It’s probably the worst relationship between a leader of the United States and a leader of Israel since all the way back to the Eisenhower days,” David Gergen, a senior political analyst for CNN who was an advisor to multiple U.S. presidents, said. “The relationship has gotten rockier over this period during the war.”

Support for Israel is now wavering in a time when it should be stronger than ever. In a time when Israel, God’s chosen nation, is being threatened, it is essential for Christians, in particular, to unite and stand with Israel.

Psalm 122:6 illustrates this.

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: may those who love you be secure.”

War has plagued Israel this past summer. According to the Washington Post, a waterfall of events led to the 50-day war in Gaza. This war quickly developed into one of the bloodiest conflicts between Israel and the Palestinians.

More Christians are needed to minister to groups in the Middle East so violence like this can be prevented. To many Christians, religious freedom is not an option, but rather an ideal they may never know. Some even give their lives for their faith.

World Watch Monitor reported that more people were “killed for faith” in Syria in 2013 than in the whole world during 2012. This statistic is unnerving and frightening. Christians have an obligation to protect the marginalized and work toward giving people of faith a safe place to practice where they can be free from persecution. In the Arab region, Israel is that safe place.

Speaking to the United Nations Human Rights Council Sept. 23, Father Gabriel Nadaf, a Greek Orthodox priest from Nazareth in northern Israel, described Israel as a safe haven in the Middle East, according to The Blaze.

“In the Middle East today, there is one country where Christianity is not only not persecuted, but affectionately granted freedom of expression, freedom of worship and security,” Nadaf said. “Israel is the only place where Christians in the Middle East are safe.”

Nadaf went on to estimate that 120,000 Christians have been killed in the Middle East over the previous decade.

“That means that every five minutes, a Christian is killed because of his faith,” Nadaf said.

Western Christians need to protect this safe haven and help forge the same freedoms they enjoy for the rest of the Middle East, for the Christians who fight for their faith, as well as their lives, every day. Peace should be known to these people.

The petty political fights within our ranks need to end. When it comes down to it, Christians believe in a loving God and that Jesus died for their sins. We should unite over these facts.

Differences between Christian groups will always exist. However, instead of heckling a speaker from the stage, Christians should present a united front against such great persecution.

No more senators should be silenced, and more importantly, no more Christians should die for their faith. We are one body, united by God, saved from sin, searching for a future when everyone can know the love we feel on a daily basis from our Savior.

“I’ve been in a bad mood for two or three weeks, and (my wife) begged me to not take it out on the students this morning,” Nik Ripken, author and missionary to the Middle East, said at the start of his Convocation address Monday, Sept. 15. “I don’t think I’m going to listen. I think I’m going to take it out on you anyway.”

Grabbing the audience’s attention quickly, Ripken, who has spent 30 years on mission in the Middle East with his family, sought to describe what it is like to share the gospel in the Arab world.

In his address, he described to students the tension that exists between a desire for justice against radical Islamists and the Bible’s command to extend grace.

Ripken, which is a pseudonym to protect his identity, has authored two books, “The Insanity of God” and “The Insanity of Obedience,” as well as interviewed nearly 600 Christians who live in places of persecution. He and his wife have been involved with missions work in a total of 72 countries to date, according to his website.

“We prepare sheep to go among the wolves,” Ripken said. “We prepare people to get on the plane in the New Testament and get off the plane in the Old Testament.”

Grace being the centerpiece of the missionary’s talk, Ripken encouraged students to seek what Jesus would do rather than jumping to an “eye-for-an-eye” mentality.

“The Church is joining with the government, and we’re believing there’s a political — there’s a military — solution to the (Islamic State), to Iraq and Syria … and here comes Jesus,” Ripken said.

“You’ve heard it be said, ‘Eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth,’ but I tell you, do not resist an evil person. … You’ve heard it said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy,’ but I tell you, love your enemies and pray for them who persecute you,” Ripken read from Matthew 5.

The missionary challenged students to seek love alongside justice, reminding them that, according to the gospel, everyone is guilty of sin and in need of grace.

“Who is standing up in your culture today — who is standing up in the name of Jesus — to say that there is no political solution for this world and its hatred. There is no economic, military solution,” Ripken said. “Who is standing up today … and (saying) here is a godly, Christ like, Jesus-centered response to ISIS?”

Ripken left students with a call to action, a call to reexamine their perspective. Though the religious and political dealings in the Arab world are often hostile, Ripken reminded students that no one is any less in need of the grace Jesus offers.

GOINS-PHILLIPS is the opinion editor

]]>https://www.liberty.edu/champion/2014/09/nik-ripken-speaks-at-convo/feed/0Conflict escalates in Israelhttps://www.liberty.edu/champion/2014/09/conflict-escalates-in-israel/
https://www.liberty.edu/champion/2014/09/conflict-escalates-in-israel/#commentsWed, 03 Sep 2014 16:28:03 +0000http://www.liberty.edu/champion/?p=25950Continue reading]]>Hamas and Islamic radicals terrorize the Jewish state in the name of religion

Conflict in the Middle East is nothing new. In fact, turmoil seems indigenous to the entire region. While turmoil is no stranger to the Middle East, this latest outbreak of fighting has escalated to recognition on an international scale.

HORROR — Israel launched a military operation in early July in an effort to end rocket fire from the Gaza Strip. Google Images

When the news of an Israeli offensive against Hamas, the militant Islamic fundamentalist group that governs the Gaza Strip, first surfaced, many of those who received the news had similar thoughts on their minds.

Israel and Palestine are always fighting, right? In which direction does the moral balance tip? Does the United States have a role to play in the matter?

First and foremost, I think it is important to decipher what has actually been happening. The outbreaks of violence seem to occur and reoccur in a vicious cycle. The cycle goes something like this: In efforts to push Israel back and gain land, Gaza and its Islamic militant leaders continue their war on the Israeli state, firing missiles across the border into farmland along the edge of the Gaza Strip. In self-defense, Israel retaliates.

Due to the fact that Israel’s defense and weaponry is much stronger than Gaza’s, its attacks inflict more significant damage. The rest of the world takes note of the damage that has occurred and begins to sympathize with Gaza and its Hamas leadership, ignorantly asking what Hamas could have done to deserve such a violent response.

As a result of the large number of casualties, Hamas sees fit to commence another offensive against its Israeli neighbors, and the cycle continues. A firsthand witness best described the current environment in the area.

“In recent years, we’ve been having these kinds of attacks on average every two years,” Maya Nayeh, an Israeli living in a city bordering Gaza, told a USA Today correspondent. “The area is dry like thistles — you just need to throw a match and everything is ablaze.”

After long, and often seemingly pointless, wars across the globe, and especially in the Middle East, the last thing the American people are eagerly waiting to take part in is another war. In fact, I am sure the vast majority of the American people would rather avoid war at all costs.

I do believe that it is important that we, as a nation, do our best in our words and actions to convey the truth of what is really happening. I think that in the most basic response to the problem, we need to stand by Israel and its right to defend itself. It is ridiculous for nations around the world to demand that Israel stand idly by as the anti-Semitic Hamas government attacks them.

While the governments of both nations are caught in the vicious cycle of war and turmoil with no one coming out a clear winner of the conflict, there is a significant group that can be identified as the loser.

“The leaders on both sides will probably each declare victory, while the people on each side do not feel like they are victors at all,” former Israeli Army Colonel Miri Eisin told a Washington Post correspondent.

Unfortunately, in a time of great tension in the Middle East, these comments are all too true. The citizens of both regions are paying the price for the turmoil between the two governments, and paying it with their lives. While an unsteady ceasefire has been established, it does not come without a price. Due to the initial hate-fueled attacks of Hamas and the justifiable response by the Israeli government, in the last two months, well over 2,000 people have lost their lives.

I think it is important that the government and people of the United States work in this time of momentary calm to not only ensure that this number of causalities rises no higher, but also to pledge our full support to a region that has known nothing but turmoil for a long time.

According to Business Insider, the U.S. will be giving Israel $3.15 billion in aid from 2013 to 2018. While our financial support is of great value, the U.S.
government should be an outward and adamant supporter of the Jewish state. A time and chance has come for us to be known not as a nation of war, but as one of love, peace and rebuilding. Now, more than ever, we must remain unwavering in our commitment to Israel.

]]>https://www.liberty.edu/champion/2014/09/conflict-escalates-in-israel/feed/0What we can do to help the Middle Easthttps://www.liberty.edu/champion/2013/09/what-we-can-do-to-help-the-middle-east/
https://www.liberty.edu/champion/2013/09/what-we-can-do-to-help-the-middle-east/#commentsTue, 10 Sep 2013 18:58:41 +0000http://www.liberty.edu/champion/?p=22637Continue reading]]>Christians are called to be politically active by praying for international peace and administrative wisdom

Turn on any news channel or pick up any newspaper, and headlines are sure to outline the grim political landscape of our country and our world.

Tension continues to rise as leading bureaucratic figures scramble to find the best solution to the crisis in Syria. Pressure in the Middle East has left the region fragmented.

Radical Muslim faith is surging. Fellow brothers and sisters in Christ face harrowing persecution. Millions have been displaced from their homes as religious and political powers war for sovereignty and fame.

And then we throw the financial and political issues of the United States into the mix. Our nation faces an inconceivable debt that, according to the Washington Post, has reached more than $16 trillion and is well on the way to breaking the debt ceiling. Our leaders are torn between Syrian involvement or inaction, and reports of war stream in daily.
It is nothing short of overwhelming.

As a result, I am finding it increasingly difficult to be a joy-filled Christian in a world saturated with conflict and pain. Sitting in Lynchburg, Va., the list of helpful actions we can take to improve the innumerable global afflictions seems trivial and inconsequential.

If there is one truth I have recently discovered while praying through my grief for the tragedies occurring worldwide, however, it is that Christians have a prominent role to play in current affairs. The greatest lie we can believe is that our actions are not enough, that we cannot be effective where we are.

We may not be on the front lines, but that does not mean that we belong on the sidelines.

Though I would generally be the first to shy away from political discussions, I am learning that being attentive to the needs of people around the world does not require a degree in geopolitics or economics.

The situations are complex, and the answers are not easy, but Christians bear a responsibility to intentionally seek truth and weigh the measures of the world against a biblical worldview.

Whether you support American intercession in the Middle East or not, we are to be interceding in prayer.

As the upcoming generation of leaders, each one of us is in the ideal position to influence change. So whether we voice our opinions to large crowds or to our roommates, let us be knowledgeable about what is happening around the world. Read the headlines, follow the news, and take every opportunity to graciously and effectively direct conversations toward truth.

We ought to make use of the incredible community of people we are so blessed to have here at Liberty University. Take the opportunity to learn from those who are like-minded as well as those with dissimilar stances.

And when the pain of the world inevitably begins to overburden and distress, remember that our hope is in Christ alone. We need to pray through Ephesians 6, put on our armor, and faithfully live out our callings as ambassadors to the world.